


The Inbetween

by SilverHeart09



Category: Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 03:04:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16317911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHeart09/pseuds/SilverHeart09
Summary: What happened after Grace died? Set immediately afterwards.





	The Inbetween

**Author's Note:**

> So this story starts when Grace dies, and goes up until the moment when the Doctor asks Graham what he meant when he gave his eulogy.

The ride back to the house was quiet and sullen, everyone silent and lost in their own thoughts. 

They’d gone to the police station first to give statements, quickly fabricating up a reason they were all at the building site at close to one in the morning. Yaz had taken control, looking up funeral directors in the area once it was established that a postmortem wouldn’t be required so Grace could be transferred somewhere safe that wasn’t the back of the police station. The Doctor had sat quietly in a chair in the corner of the station, declining cups of tea, staring at the ground. Ryan and Graham had sat next to each other on the cold plastic chairs, Graham trying to talk, but Ryan not wanting to listen. 

Yaz emerged from behind the reception desk just after four, bags under her eyes and a weariness on her face. 

‘We can go,’ she said. ‘I’ll give you a ride back to the house.’

There was a moment when Ryan and Graham had stood up and turned to look down at the Doctor, who was still not moving from her chair. 

‘Are you coming?’ Graham asked her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

The Doctor flinched and looked away. ‘It’s alright,’ she said quietly. ‘You guys go on, I’ll find somewhere.’

‘Where, exactly?’ Ryan asked. 

The Doctor said nothing. 

‘Look, Doc,’ Graham said, ‘you’ve said it yourself. Your ship has gone walkabout and you haven’t got anywhere else to go. So you’re coming with us, I insist.’

The Doctor looked up and peered into his face, confused. ‘I just thought… after what happened… you wouldn’t want me around.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Graham said softly. ‘Now come on.’

Once they were outside the house and Yaz had driven away, the Doctor hovered at the end of the path while Ryan unlocked the door. It was still dark outside and the air was cold, but even in her thin rugged clothes the Doctor didn’t seem to mind. 

‘I’m going to go for a walk, if that’s alright,’ she said. ‘I need to think.’

Ryan and Graham looked at each other, then Ryan walked down the path towards her and held out his keys. 

‘Do you want a warmer coat,’ he asked.

‘No, no,’ the Doctor replied, tucking his keys into her pocket. ‘I’m still burning on the inside, it’s keeping me warm. I’ll be fine.’

She turned and started to walk back down the road, hands in her pockets and her blond head down, chin almost touching her chest.

Ryan looked back at Graham who was looking after her as she walked away. ‘She’ll be alright,’ Graham said. ‘She’ll come back.’

Ryan couldn’t sleep once he was in his bed in the dark. He lay there on his back staring at the glow in the dark stars he’d stuck on the ceiling years ago.

Downstairs, he heard a key turn quietly in the lock and soft padded footsteps as someone stepped inside. 

After catching a couple of hours sleep, Ryan decided to give up and made his way downstairs around seven thirty. Peering round the living room door he saw the Doctor asleep on the sofa, curled into a ball with a blanket buried all the way up to her chin. He pulled the door to slightly and made his way into the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

Yaz came round mid afternoon to check on them. She sat down next to the Doctor and placed a hand gently on her forehead. 

‘She’s okay,’ Yaz said. ‘I think she’s just exhausted. Who knows what she was doing before she fell through the roof.’

‘She was glowing, before,’ Ryan said. ‘Me and nan saw it. After you’d gone off to the police station to check if anything weird had been reported she collapsed. We brought her back here and she was glowing, had this weird golden stuff under her skin.’

‘Well, she did say she was an alien,’ Yaz said. ‘Maybe that’s normal for her?’

That afternoon Yaz helped them get all the paperwork ready to start the funeral planning. They set a preliminary date and went through old photo albums to find some pictures, putting the ones they wanted in a pile ready to be scanned in to the computer.

The Doctor woke up around nine o’clock that evening when Graham and Ryan had gone out to get takeaway and shuffled into the kitchen with the blanket draped around her shoulders like a cape, hair askew and bleary eyed. 

Yaz sat her down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a sandwich and the Doctor picked up the pile of photos they’d chosen and flicked through them, scrutinising each one as she ate the sandwich. 

‘Are you okay?’ Yaz asked. 

‘Hmm,’ the Doctor said. 

Yaz stood up, walked round the table and put her arms around her. 

‘It’s not your fault,’ Yaz said quietly. ‘You know that, don’t you.’

The Doctor leaned into the hug and put her head on Yaz’s shoulder, silent.

 

* * *

 

When Ryan and Graham got back with food they found Yaz and the Doctor sat on the sofa under the Doctor’s blanket with the TV on. 

‘Hey, Doc, you feeling better?’ Graham asked. 

‘Yeah, I’m just not with it yet,’ the Doctor said. ‘I’ve got a new brain and it’s still figuring out the connections. I’m sorry I’ve not been of much help today.’ She looked so desperately sad that Graham sat next to her and gently placed a hand on her back. 

‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘You take all the time you need.’

‘Thanks Graham,’ the Doctor said. ‘I’m sorry about all this, I’m sorry you got caught up in it, and I’m so sorry about…’ her voice caught and she looked down at her lap.

‘Hey,’ Graham said. ‘Now you listen here. We were dead ducks before you came along. Me, Carl and Grace. When that tentacle creature came through the train I thought that was it. Then you crash through the roof and save us. It would have implanted the DNA bombs into us anyway and without you there we’d all be dead right now. Me, Ryan and Yaz, probably Carl too.  _ Definitely  _ Carl too. So don’t you go blaming yourself for what happened, because it isn’t your fault. None of this is, and we certainly don’t blame you.’

Ryan handed her a carton of noodles and a fork and they sat quietly together round the TV watching old reruns of  _ Family Guy  _ until the Doctor fell asleep again. This time she did start glowing, although it wasn't as pronounced as before. Yaz quietly tucked her in and they left the room.

 

* * *

 

Yaz was sat on the sofa with her first cup of tea of the day when there was three sharp raps to her door. Opening it, she found the Doctor stood on the steps looking even more dishevelled and covered in mud, like she’d been walking through the park all night. 

‘Yaz, I need your help.’ 

A couple of hours later, the Doctor exited the bathroom in a cloud of scented steam, her old clothes newly washed and fresh on. Her hair was wet and she was fiddling with the bra strap on her shoulder.

‘Is it too tight?’ Yaz asked. ‘We can adjust it if it’s uncomfortable.’

‘No, it’s okay, I’m just not used to it,’ the Doctor said. 

‘You’ve seriously never worn a bra before?’ 

‘I told you, I used to be men.’

Yaz shook her head, confused. ‘Alright, sit here and I’ll show you how to style your hair. You don’t have to blow dry it, but if you decide you want to this is how it’s done.’

After the Doctor’s blond bob was back to normal, Yaz took her back into the bathroom and pointed at all the different products. 

‘You don’t have to use all of these, or any to be honest. If you want to go very basic and don’t plan on wearing makeup, you could probably get away with just a cleanser and moisturiser.’

The Doctor frowned. ‘I’ve not even sure how to put makeup on.’

Yaz grabbed a bottle of foundation and pointed at the chair. ‘Sit down.’

 

* * *

 

The Doctor and Yaz went back to the house in the early evening and Graham nodded his approval at the Doctor. 

‘You look better, Doc. That long sleep did you good? I can see Yaz got her claws into you.’

The Doctor peered at her reflection in the window. It was very subtle makeup, a light foundation with mascara on her eyelashes.

'Just trying it out,’ she said, 'never worn makeup before, not properly anyway.’

Graham had cooked spaghetti and they all sat round to eat. Ryan yawned loudly at the end of the meal and excused himself to go to bed.

‘You all ready for tomorrow, Graham?’ Yaz asked. ‘Do you need a hand with anything?’

‘I think we're okay, thanks Yaz,’ Graham replied. ‘The service starts at 1pm so we've got time in the morning to get things ready.’

‘What’s tomorrow?’ the Doctor asked round a mouthful of spaghetti. Regenerating really took it out of you. 

There was a pause. 'It's Grace's funeral,’ Graham said.

The Doctor swallowed and looked remorseful. 'Sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m not good with days when I'm not travelling, I get confused. The TARDIS usually reminds me what day it is but…’

She trailed off and looked down into her bowl. 

‘How’s that going?’ Yaz asked. 

The Doctor shrugged. 'I've had a couple of ideas,’ she said. ‘I need to collect a few things first.’

'Like what?’ Yaz asked.

The Doctor nodded at the microwave. 'One of those to start with. I might go over to the garage tomorrow, I'm sure there's some stuff I could use.’ She paused. ‘I mean the day after tomorrow, a future day that isn't tomorrow. What day even is it tomorrow?’

‘It’s Thursday tomorrow,’ Graham said. 'And look, if you don't want to come to the funeral, if you'd rather find your ship that's okay. You only knew Grace for one day, we won't be angry or upset if you're not there.’

'I'll be there,’ the Doctor said. Then, quietly and almost as though she was talking to her fork. ‘I need to be there.’

 

* * *

 

Everyone awoke early the next day, apart from the Doctor who hadn't gone to bed in the first place and who came in around 7am smelling of oil and covered in grease. She seemed lost in her own world and didn't respond to Graham's 'good morning's or enquiries about where she'd been all night, instead closing the bathroom door and not coming out for another hour.

At the church, the Doctor stood in the graveyard while the mourners made their way in. Yaz came and stood next to her and they silently watched as Graham and Ryan welcomed everyone in. 

‘On Congarian 4 there's a massive party when someone dies,’ the Doctor said suddenly. 'The Congarians view death as being the best thing that can happen to someone. An opportunity to meet all the friends and family you've lost. The party lasts for a week and if anyone else dies during that time the parties merge and it becomes a festival.’

'That sounds nice,’ Yaz said. 'I wish we did that here.’

The Doctor nodded. ‘Earth is similar to Gallifrey,’ she said. 'Time Lords live so many lives that when they do die it's a very quiet affair.’

Yaz frowned. ‘What’s Gallifrey?’ she asked. 'And what's a Time Lord?’ But the Doctor said nothing.

 

* * *

 

After the service they went back to the house for the wake. They spent most of it taking it in turns to sneak out of the house, away from all the nosey relatives, to congregate on the steps. 

‘So where are you from then, Doc?’ Graham asked. ‘It occured to me when I was giving the eulogy. You saved us all but I don’t know where you’re from. I’m guessing from your accent it’s Yorkshire? Are there aliens there too?’

‘Never been,’ the Doctor said. ‘Regeneration is kind of a mixed bag. You never know what you’re going to end up like. Or who you’re going to end up like.’

‘You said you were Scottish before,’ Yaz said, confused.

‘Yeah, I’ve been northern as well,’ the Doctor agreed. 

‘So if you’re not from Yorkshire… where are you from?’ Ryan asked. ‘Are you from another planet?’

The Doctor nodded. ‘I’m from the same planet my TARDIS is from. It’s gone now, though. Now I travel the galaxy seeing amazing things, meeting fantastic people.’

‘Sounds lonely,’ Ryan said.

‘It can be,’ the Doctor replied, looking off into the distance. ‘I always seem to keep picking up stragglers though, I’m never alone for long.’ 

‘What happened to your planet?’ Yaz asked, at the same time Ryan said ‘What’s a TARDIS?’

‘It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space,’ the Doctor said proudly. ‘It’s my ship, the best ship in the universe.’ She looked sad. ‘And she’s all alone out there.’ 

‘Is that what you were up to last night?’ Graham asked. ‘Searching for your ship.’

The Doctor nodded. ‘I’ve set up a basic rig using Stenza technology and some stuff from the garage to search for it. I’m not finished yet, but I’m optimistic.’ 

They heard someone exclaim loudly from inside the house that they were out of cheese puffs. 

‘There’s more in the cupboard,’ Ryan said. ‘I got loads.’

‘We better go back in,’ Graham said. ‘Meet again in thirty minutes?’

There were nods of agreement and the four of them trouped back inside the house. 

  
  
  



End file.
